Melody of the Afterlife
by PieroXVII17
Summary: AU where instead of the Reaper's game, Neku and the TWEWY gang are brought into the afterlife in the Angel Beats world following the events of the original Angel Beats story. They end up getting involved with the world and its mysteries. Multiple OC's. ON HIATUS DUE TO LACK OF REVIEWS AND INTEREST FROM READERS.
1. Chapter 1

**Hello everyone! This is my first time writing a fanfiction, and the idea of a TWEWY Angel Beats crossover kinda wandered into my head. The concept seemed too good to pass up, so this is the result of my long hours putting together characters and a plot. Please read and review, I wanna know what people think about it. Without further ado, the story!**

* * *

Chapter 1

"W-where... am I?"

A boy lay on the ground, sprawled out on the concrete sidewalk. He raised himself from the ground, holding his head in confusion.

Taking in the surroundings, he noticed it was late in the day, the sun was setting in the sky, and a gentle breeze brushed his hair from his face. His thoughts turned to his location.

"What is this, some sort of school?" He glanced around, observing the surrounding area. It appeared to be a dormitory of some kind, with other buildings surrounding the complex, all arrayed in a neat fashion. Each building looked nearly identical.

He observed himself; he was wearing a plain black button down shirt, with black slacks and black dress shoes.

"Some sort of uniform? What kind of place is this anyways?" the youth murmured to himself. Detecting footsteps, he turned, to face a large figure approaching.

The figure was another boy, larger than himself. He wore a similar uniform to his, and sported jet black hair which fell below his shoulders in an array of spikes.

"You know, students shouldn't be out this late. It's way past curfew." The man stared at him, as if he was expecting something."

"GET DOWN!"

A shot zoomed by him, on direct course for the figure in front of him.

"Guard skill: Distortion." The raven haired male uttered. The bullet rebounded off a sort of force field, falling to the curb.

The boy dropped to the ground, as another shot flew past him, he could see orange locks of hair, slowly descending towards the pavement.

"Is that mine? That gunshot nearly killed me!" He mused to himself.

The man with the black hair barreled behind him, and was now out of sight; paralyzed with fear and confused, the orange haired boy could only hear a fight unfold behind him. Uncertain of what to do, he lay there, trembling, and scared.

_Who carries weapons on a school campus? What kind of school IS this? More importantly, how'd that guy take 2 bullets and not even get scratched! This is too weird._

Lost in his racing thoughts, the boy didn't notice the conflict surrounding him, as he slowly slipped from consciousness.

"Hey. Hey, you alright?"

The youth's eyes fluttered open. He was no longer laying on the cold, rough concrete he had previously found himself on.

"Looks like you're okay. It must have been something, running into Raphael and having only just turned up in this world right? Name's Minako Minoru."

He identified the voice as feminine, and shifted to see who had so graciously decided to take care of him.

She was incredibly attractive, thats for certain. Minako had curly light blonde hair, which flowed down to waist length. She stared intently at him, with her deep aqua eyes.

He inspected the room. It appeared to be a room in a hospital. Probably the hospital wing of the school. The walls were a dull white color and there was a curtain next to him; behind it he could make out the shadow of a second bed. The girl spoke up again.

"Got a name handsome?"

"Uhm..." pondering to himself, as if this were a test question. "Neku, Neku Sakuraba."

Neku decided to take a better look at her. She wore a school uniform, which consisted of a white button down shirt, and a blue miniskirt. The outfit clung to her figure, generously showing off her curves.

"So, Minako was it? Would you care explaining to me where the hell I am, and why some kid was getting shot up to look like swiss cheese last night?"

"Well Neku, I'll just put all the cards on the table. You my orange spiky haired friend are dead. And this is the afterlife."

Neku was quiet for a moment, and anger found its way onto his expression. "Oh, you think you're hilarious don't you? That's not even a funny joke!"

"Neku, I'm not kidding. This is the real deal. Tell me, what can you remember from before you woke up here."

He paused. What COULD he remember? All he could recall was his name and the events of the night prior. What happened to his memory?

"What the hell, my memories!" franticly, "What did you do to me? Why can't I remember?"

The girl groaned "I told you. You're dead. It's not uncommon for someone waking up here to suffer some degree of amnesia. You'd have to be the worst case I've seen though. Nobody we've recruited yet has lost their entire memory like you have."

"Recruited? What are you talking about?"

"People wake up in this world, and find they've been wronged by God. Our small group is a group dedicated to fighting off and resisting God. Under normal circumstances, that would be the stupidest thing you could do. This world is unique though. Here, we can't die. We can fight back against him."

"So was the man I saw yesterday... Was he God?"

Minako replied "No, but close enough. None of us know his real name. We call him Raphael. Raphael is an angel serving under God in order to eliminate those who would oppose him. We suspect the man he works with, student body president Yuzuru Otonashi, of having a direct method of communicating with God."

This is insane. They don't expect him to buy into deranged story, do they? What was he supposed to believe though? He was completely clueless as to what's going on, and furthermore, he couldn't even remember anything but his own name.

"Minako, how can I know I can trust you? This is the most outrageous thing I've ever heard, and you expect me to take it all and accept it with no proof of any sort?"

"Yes." she stated matter-of-factly.

"Like hell I will! I'm out of here."

Neku jolted from his bed. Now noticing his bare torso, he investigated the room for some form of clothing. After careful inspection, he located the uniform he wore the previous evening. Upon examination, he could see the uniform had various tears and holes now.

"Your uniform got torn up pretty bad from all the gunfire. You're lucky you didn't die" Minako giggled, finding the joke to be hilarious "But it's not like you can. Not in this world anyways."

Neku ground his teeth in frustration. Upon consideration, he slipped the uniform on anyways and made his way towards the door.

"Neku, wait."

Angrily "What, got another joke of yours?"

Minako rolled her eyes, growing tired of the boy's obvious attitude issues "You'll at least consider joining our cause, right? We need everyone we can get, and you're no exception."

Neku stopped, looked down, and then back at Minako "Go to hell." He walked out the door and down the hallway, leaving the bleach-blonde with her jaw at the floor.

_Okay, so not only do I not remember who I am, but everyone in this place is an asshole who thinks it's funny to play with the amnesiac. This is the sickest, cruelest joke I've ever heard of. I'm dead? God? Angels? This is all mental, how does she even expect me to beli_-

Neku's thoughts were cut, as he bumped into another person. He looked up, and saw the face of the same man he encountered last night.

"Watch where you're going, jackass!"

Neku's violet eyes met Raphael's crimson red ones.

"Such language is forbidden in this facility. I'll have to ask you to refrain from speaking in that way again."

Neku scoffed "What do you think you're gonna do about it? I can say what I want when and where I wa-"

Neku was cut off.

"Guard Skill:Hand Sonic."

Neku had no time to react: no sooner than those words were uttered, he was pierced through the heart with a blade of some sort. Neku's breathing shortened, and everything began spinning.

Then it all went pitch-black.

Later in the hospital wing

"Ugh... How am I still alive..."

A familiar voice spoke up "Because it is as I said. You. Can't. Die. I can't believe you needed to go pick a fight with an angel in order to figure that out."

_It's all true... God... Angels... And I can't even die here. Am I seriously dead? But how? Damnit! I can't recall a thing_.

"So you weren't lying.."

Minako smiled "Not gonna tell me to go to hell again, are ya?"

Neku chuckled and flashed a sheepish smile "Maybe, if you piss me off again."

_Well at least I have one person I can sorta trust around here. Still, I don't know about joining these guys. It's not my fight and I should stay out of it._

"Hey, Minako, about teaming up with you guys. Will I get the chance to kick the crap out of that stuck-up angel if I do?"

"You'll have plenty chances." Minako headed for the door "Don't let that make or break it for you, before you join our cause, it's only fair you meet the other members first. Rest up for a while and then I'll arrange a meet and greet." Minako closed the door behind her, leaving Neku to his thoughts.

_Just how many members does this group of theirs even have? Will I have to fight? That's a silly question, of course I will. Can I even fight? I've never had to before._

The door opened up and a voice called out to Neku "Hello there."

Neku turned to the entrance of his room, and saw a boy not much older than himself at the door. He had hair of an orange-reddish color, and wore an outfit like the one he arrived in this world with.

"You're new around here, aren't ya?"

Neku glared at the newcomer, saying nothing.

The flame haired youth cleared his throat nervously "Well hello, my name is Yuzuru Otonashi. I'm the current student body president of this academy."

Neku's eyes widened in shock.

_This guy is the one Minako mentioned, the one in charge of that angel and the one they think is speaking with god._

"I saw one of the members of class SSSII left this room, so I presume she spoke to you about myself and the vice president. Just hear me out, you're here in this world for a reason. You died an unfulfilled life, and this world is a chance to live out those dreams of yours that you were unable to accomplish whi-"

"Shut up" Neku cut off Otonashi "I know about this world, and I know how you and that stuck up buddy of yours are trying to get rid of us. You're probably feeding me a spoonful of crap right now so I go without a fight. Well I'm sorry Mister president, but you can go screw yourself."

Otonashi stood in shock. His eyes narrowed, and spoke softly "So that's how it is huh.."

Otonashi sighed. Closing his eyes, he appeared to come to a conclusion.

"Neku, if that's your decision, alright. I just hope you come to see it my way eventually."

Otonashi smiled and then turned for the door. "One more thing. I hope you get back your memories soon." With that, he left, whistling a jubilant tune.

Neku took the opportunity to calm himself down and to forget about all the things he heard recently.

_What does he know about my memory. Agh he's probably screwing with my head or something. Whatever, not much to do now. I might as well take a nap or something till I can move._

Neku yawned, once more reviewing the recent events. He felt his eyelids growing heavy, and he fell into sweet slumber.

Meanwhile, Otonashi walked into the student body president's office.

"It's exactly like how things were... Is this how it was for you, Kanade?" The president scrambled for a chair to rest on, settling on a leather chair. He fell into the cozy seat and let out a sigh. "Kenta, what do you think of this all?"

A tall figure walked out of bathroom, wiping his eyes "Y'know Otonashi, I don't understand why I have to wear these." Kenta dropped onto the stand two contacts, both crimson in color "What does it matter if they see my eyes?"

"Kenta Kiyoshi, you know I need you to be my angel. The crimson eyes kinda complete the image is all. I want them to fight you like the SSS fought Kanade."

"Remind me again why we're having them fight me?"

"Kenta, ordinarily I keep you in the informed on everything, but I can't tell you quite yet."

Somewhat satisfied with the answer he had gotten, the would-be angel plopped himself next to Otonashi and stretched. "What about our deal Otonashi?"

"I haven't forgotten. Don't worry Kenta, I keep my promises. If Hinata still were around he could tell you that..."

"You miss those guys, huh?"

"More than anything. I miss them... I miss her... Every day that passes by. You'd be hard pressed to find a group like them while you're alive."

Kenta stared at Otonashi, and broke into a frown. He got up, and retrieved his contacts, making sure to carefully insert them.

"Well, it's getting late. What sort of "Angel" would I be if I didn't enforce curfew?"

Kenta walked out. As Otonashi sat there, one could mistake him for a lifeless corpse. His features dark and unchanging.

And that was when the tears fell.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

"Kenta, get ready. They're making a move."

"When? I don't see them doing anything right now."

Otonashi admired the early morning sunrise. "You haven't heard? There's going to be a concert this evening. They're prepping for Operation Tornado."

The angel in disguise groaned, massaging his temples "That AGAIN? How much fun could blowing away meal tickets be?"

Kenta walked off, visibly frustrated at the evening to come.

"This is necessary. If their group is anything like my SSS, doing these things will bring them closer to being at peace and finally moving on." Otonashi gazed out at the horizon, and a sad smile crept onto his face.

**In the HQ of the SSSII**

"Well Neku, it is my pleasure to introduce you to the current members of class SSSII."

Neku sat in a room, surrounded by multiple teens roughly his age. The people in the room seemed to all be a mix-match of kids from all reaches of the social ladder.

"This gentleman here is Hikaru Ayako."

Neku glanced at the first boy in question. He wore a brown jacket over a white button down shirt, and blue slacks. His sneakers were a white and blue covering his large feet. Judging by the other males in the room, this was their uniform.

If his height was an indication, he was young, maybe younger than Neku. Someone as short as his couldn't be much older than a first year. His brown hair was spiked in multiple directions. Hikaru beamed at Neku.

"It's nice to meet you Neku!" the boy exclaimed with a childish delight, nearly jumping as he spoke.

"...Hi."

On Hikaru's right was another guy, no a girl. Neku wasn't quite sure of their gender. The teen had violet hair that they wore at neck length, which had black tips. Untrusting eyes followed Neku, observing his movements.

Neku nervously smiled, wondering what he had done for the androgynous teen to stare so intently.

"The stiff over there is Yori Manami. She's usually the quiet one around here."

_So she is a girl._

Yori continued to stare him down. As if her crimson eyes were peering into the fabric of Neku's very being, deciphering every bit of information she could acquire.

_Geez I hope she's not always like this.  
_  
"In case you're wondering, yes she's usually like this."

_How did she know what I was thinking!_

Neku's thoughts were drowned out by a loud voice. The voice belonged to a tall male. He had curly hair, of a dark blond color. He was extremely thin, and looked awkward being so skinny for his height.

His companion was a pretty young lady with flowing red hair. Her hair fell to below her midsection, and split at the ends, resembling something like a dolphin's tail.

"The chatterbox is Ichirou Kokoro, start him on a conversation and it's damn near impossible to get him to shut up. His friend there is Aina Yamada."

Aina turned to Neku "Hello Neku! Pleasure to meet ya!"

Neku cringed.

Damn her voice is shrill. Did she even go through puberty yet?

"Minako! Where are the instruments?"

Neku turned toward the voice. In the doorway stood a brown haired male with green eyes.

"I can't find the instruments. How are we going to execute Operation Twister later?"

_Operation twister?_

"Megumi, calm down. Did you check the auditorium? You always forget to look in there."

Megumi facepalmed and walked off, grumbling something inaudible.

"That guy is Megumi Kagame. He's the male vocalist and lead guitarist of our diversion unit. He doesn't exactly have the best memory of our group, but we still love him all the same."

"What do you mean diversion unit? What purpose would a vocalist serve?"

"Well, allow me to explain that to you new guy." A young boy chirped.  
He had poofy silver hair, and violet eyes. Something about him was irritating to Neku.

"What Raphael wants us to do is to lead an average school life. If we do that, we will eventually be eradicated from this world, ceasing to exist!" The boy dramatically wiped his forehead.

"Our diversion unit gets the other students, the ones not like us, away from our fight with him; that way they won't be harmed from any resulting destruction that might occur."

_This is crazier than I thought. Students misbehaving to defy God? Am I seriously even thinking about joining these guys?_

"By the way Neku, my name is Yoshiya Kiryu, but everyone around here calls me Joshua. I simply cannot wait to work with you. Breaking in the newbies is a pastime of sorts for me" Joshua snickered uncontrollably, and went off on his own merry way.

"I apologize for the prissy kid. He's a pain, but you get used to it."

"I don't like him." Neku stated dully. "Please tell me he's the only one here like that."

"Well fortunately for you, Josh is one of a kind. There's a few more members you haven't met yet, but I'll introduce you as you meet them."

Neku's stomach growled, demanding food.

"Well I suppose it is time for lunch. Hikaru, escort Neku to the cafeteria. We'll follow behind once we iron out the details for Operation Twister." Minako strolled to her desk and punched a button. As Neku left the room, he could see a large screen drop down from the ceiling as the whole room went dark.

The pair walked down the halls, an awkward silence between the two. Curiousity finally got the better of Neku "So Hikaru, what's Operation Twister?"

"Well it wasn't originally our idea. We found a laptop filled with various ways to defy Raphael. It was almost like someone left it behind for us."

* * *

In his room, student body Vice President Kenta Kiyoshi was on his computer. The false angel was typing away, and would occasionally click when prompted. The screen opened a window.

"ANGEL PLAYER"

Kenta lazily watched the loading bar fill, and began scrolling through the menu once the program was ready to go.

His door creaked open, and then shut. "Finally getting familiar with the program I see."

"Well, Otonashi, you did say I should develop some new skills. I thought it best if I became literate at all this Angel Player mumbo jumbo." Kenta stared intently at the screen, almost expecting it to come to life. "Any reason you're here? It's not often you come to visit me."

The President frowned "Well, it's about our deal. I know I promised to help you pass on, but I don't even know your life. We've been working side by side for the better half of a year and I hardly know anything about you other than your name."

The raven haired male ceased his work. Slowly, he shifted his seat until he was face to face with the other boy "You really need to know, huh?"

"I trust you as it is, but if I'm to keep up my end of our agreement I need at least something to know that you trust me equally."

He whispered "Take a seat. I'll tell you everything."

"I was an orphan. My parents died when I was 8, and left me alone with my brother and two sisters.

I began to take care of them, doing what I could to make sure they had food in their stomachs, and had some kind of clothing.

They appreciated every second of it, and it went on for 10 years. Nobody would take us in. When I was old enough, I started to look for a job, something to feed them. For the longest time, I had no luck. We would go through trash for scraps, and I would sometimes forsake eating a meal so my siblings could eat.

One day, I finally caught a break. I got hired at a new market opening up in the area. I joyously headed back to the shelter where my family was staying.

I was careless, overjoyed. I didn't notice the cars speeding on the street. No more than a block away, I was stuck by a car. That's the last thing I remember before waking up here. That's my life."

Otonashi sat awestruck. Due to the nature of this world, he had heard tales of several unfair lives before. He recalled the cruelty of the fates his former classmates were dealt. Yui, Yuri, and Iwasawa. No matter what though, it broke his heart every time to hear the story of someone close, especially in this world.

"Satisfied?"

Otonashi wiped the forming tears "I wish I didn't ask, but it was something I had to know." Otonashi stood, and leaned forward to embrace his friend "Just know this. You didn't deserve any of it."

He exited the room, and Kenta turned back to the program in front of him "Well now that's out of the way, maybe now I can develop a skill or something." and in a matter of moments, he was immersed in the complexity of the Angel Player program.

* * *

Later that evening, there was a gathering of students coming together. The sun coated the sky in a smooth crimson light.

In the school's auditorium, members of the SSSII were setting up.

"The one with the skull cap is our drummer, he hates his real name, so we all call him Beat.

"Yo" The drummer called out to Neku "So you're dat newbie I been hearin' so much about? You don' look like anythin' special."

_I can hear the spelling and grammar errors..._

"Our band is our diversion unit. We don't have too many members, so we alternate them in and out."

Neku observed the people on stage. From what he could gather, Beat, Hikaru, Aina and Megumi would be performing tonight.

"Megumi is our male vocalist, Aina does guitar and Hikaru plays bass."

"So what do we do since we aren't performing?"

Minako replied sternly "Well, the rest of us will be keeping Raphael at bay. It's our job to make sure he doesn't get to break up the concert before we can complete our operation."

Neku opened a suitcase laid before him. Inside lay various firearms, mainly among them a wide selection of pistols. Minako unlocked the case next to it and revealed several different rifles.

"Won't anyone question a bunch of students walking around holding a bunch of guns?" Neku said as his violet eyes scanned the rifle he held in his arms.

"The NPCs don't seem to notice. Almost like they don't even see them."

The weapon Neku held was a FAMAS. The weapon was modified to have a red dot sight and came with a foregrip to reduce recoil.

Content with his weapon, Neku randomly selected a pistol and loaded the weapon, storing it on his person.

Minako took charge once more "Neku, you and Josh take entrance B. Ichirou and myself will keep an eye on entrance C, Yori and Isamu get entrance A. Whatever you do, if you get into a confrontation with Raphael, do NOT bring him closer to the normal students. We can't risk harming innocents."

_Great, I'm stuck with that prissy douche.  
_  
"Take this walkie talkie, we'll use it to keep in touch." Minako handed each group a small black device. It had a screen and two buttons for changing channels. "When you wanna say something, just push this button on top."

Neku pocketed the gift, and was greeted by his partner.

"Looks like I have the pleasure of working with you first Neku." Joshua winked at the boy "I hope I'm not too much to handle."

_Is this guy gay or something?_

Joshua chuckled "Come on new guy, we should get into position before our leader gets impatient."

"You're not taking a gun?"

Joshua laughed and revealed a large knife.

"I'm not too fond of guns. The weight of life shouldn't be measured by who can pull a trigger. You are right though, we might be fighting an angel. I'll bring a handgun for safety sake."

Josh and Neku made their way down a hallway. The corridor was pitch black, save for the illuminating light of the moon at the very end, which shone through the plexiglass window on the double doors.

Music started blaring, and the pair could recognize the roar of the crowd as the intro to their first song began.

"So you have amnesia, right?"

Neku retorted defensively "What does it matter to you? My memories are my business!"

"Woah, calm down spiky, I'm only trying to get to know my partner." The silver haired teen winked and broke into giggles again. Was teasing Neku really this fun?

"Josh, if you don't shut the hell up right now, I won't hesitate in shooting you."

"My my, dearest Neku, you would sho-"

A bang shattered the harmony of the concert's music.

"I warned him." Neku stated, a slight grin creeping onto his face. Josh was unfortunate that he'll come back to life, otherwise, the boy would never have shot him.

Neku's walkie talkie came to life "Neku, we heard gunfire, is everything okay?"

"Yea Minako, everything is fine. Joshua just pissed me off is all."

"So you shot him!" Yori exclaimed "Are you insane?

"A concert? Weapons? This won't do at all." A voice made itself apparant. Neku directed his focus at the newcomer.

He scrambled for his walkie talkie "Scratch what I said Minako! Raphael is here, I need back-up!"

The orange haired boy raised his rifle. The angel approached steadily, his crimson eyes reflecting the moonlight.

Out of fear, Neku shot, unloading a clip of rounds into his enemy.

"Guard Skill:Distortion"

The bullets bounced off the angel, ricocheting off into random directions.

He charged Neku with a superhuman speed "Guard Skill:Handsonic."

Barely evading being cut in two, Neku rolled out of the way. He found himself next to Joshua's limp body and grabbed a combat knife from the boy's lifeless hand.

As Raphael prepared to charge the boy again, gunfire roared the battlefield.

"Everyone, take positions!" The group separated, spreading out to surround the angel.

Everyone shot, but the angel was quick in evading the onslaught of lead.

Once he reached safety, he uttered a new phrase.

"Guard Skill: Holy Flame"

For a moment, the air grew thick. Explosions erupted, blowing Yori, Isamu, and Ichirou to bits, their bodies being scattered across the courtyard area.

Neku picked himself up, and mustered the energy to approach Raphael's blind side. Quickly assessing the situation and knife in hand, he lunged at the angel.

"Neku! What are you doing? Are you stupid?" Minako exasperated, stressed at the loss of her allies.

"He won't blow himself up at close range, and the bullets just bounce off! My best bet is taking the fight directly to him!"

Raphael twisted, his Handsonic clashing with the knife and locking blades. Neku gave ground, and darted to the side, flicking his wrist to grip the weapon backwards.

"Guard Skill:Handsonic Version 2"

Raphael's blade transformed, elongating and growing thinner along the main portion.

Neku closed in for a slash, pulling back his blade; Raphael quickly reacted, meeting the strike with his own weapon and performing a 360 spinning slash.

The youth crouched, dodging quickly enough to only have some of his orange hair cut from his head. Neku put all his force into an uppercut like slash, managing to only slice open the angel's uniform.

Visibly frustrated with the progress of the battle, Raphael raised his arm preparing to strike down his adversary.

Minako fired at Raphael, knocking him off balance and giving Neku the chance to scramble out of his range.

Raphael stood expressionless, eying his combatant. Lunging forward, he slashed horizontally, which would have cleaved Neku in two; however, he quickly reacted, leaping upward above Raphael's Handsonic and delivering a jump kick into the false angel's jaw.

Landing a few feet away, the fighters glared at one another, waiting for the other to make the next move.

Tickets blew from within the building, completely filling the sky, drawing Raphael's attention and allowing Neku an opportunity to charge and stab him.

Removing the blade from his heart, Neku watched as Raphael slowly collapsed.

"Be sure to send my regards to God!" Neku exclaimed triumphantly. Remembering the explosion earlier, he turned to the leader of the SSSII "Minako, are you okay?"

"Damn Neku, I'm just glad you're on our side right now. I've never seen him use that Holy Flame ability before. All of us were completely unprepared for that," rasped the blonde girl.

The area was completely reshaped. There was a huge crater where Raphael had detonated his holy fire, and meal tickets were littered across the concrete pavement.

"What do we do about the angel?"

Minako stood, catching her breath "Leave him, if we take him captive he'll only break loose. The purpose of this operation was to scatter the tickets, not apprehend Raphael. Besides, do you have any idea how he would react if he suddenly awoke as our prisoner?"

Considering this Neku inquired further "Do we have to take prissy boy back with us? If we do, I won't hesitate to shoot him again."

Minako let out a brief snicker, amused at the boy's attitude "Well I don't like the snobby kid either, but he's one of us regardless. When he's not getting his brains blown out by you he can be a competent fighter."

Rolling his eyes, Neku began to leave "He'll come back to life right? No need for us to move him then, he can take care of himself when he wakes up."

"That's awfully cold of you."

"What has he ever done for me? I hardly know the kid aside from the fact that his attitude is something I don't feel like tolerating. He's just a stuck up prissy kid, not much better than that angel."

Minako relented "If that's how you feel, alrighty then. See you tomorrow at HQ?"

Nonchalantly "Sure." Neku left the scene, leaving the carnage of the battle behind him.

* * *

The next day, a meeting was called in the SSSII HQ. Neku slowly arose from his bed, and put on his choice outfit. Since it was a weekend, he didn't need to wear the school uniform. He slipped on a pair of white shorts that fell just below his knees and sneakers with a black and purple color scheme. Instead of laces, the shoes had two belts for securing them to his feet. His top was a black and purple T-shirt that had a collar concealing his lower facial features.

Neku eagerly put on a pair of purple beats, the headset completing the look.

He made his way to the meeting, blasting some of the music that came with the headphones. He wasn't sure where or how found the clothing. They were sort of just there in his room. Still, he didn't mind, he thought the attire suited him.

Locating the building where the SSSII met, he entered.

The building was just like the others. Long hallways with walls painted white. The floors were a granite tile design consisting of various colors depending on the building. This floor was a reddish granite.

_You know. Now that I think about it, why do they call themselves SSSII? Was there an original SSS before them or something?_

At last, having reached the meeting room Neku turned the doorknob and allowed himself inside. He was met with greetings from the members.

"Well if it isn't the star of last night. That was some hell of fight. If I didn't know any better I'd think you had training." Neku turned to see he was being addressed by Minako.

The boy with the skull beanie approached him "I heard 'bout your fight wit dat angel! That sounded hella tight. You superman or sumthin'? Nobody ever fought Raphael and lasted like you did."

"Nobody has ever fought Raphael and won." Minako corrected "Your show of skill last night was impressive. Where did you learn to fight like that?"

Neku wondered. He tried to find the memory but nothing came to him. "I have no idea. My memory is still fuzzy. When I confronted him, it all sort of just came to me. I was acting entirely on reflex, I think."

"Anyways, before we start, where's Hikaru?"

As Minako finished speaking, Hikaru burst through the doors "Guys, you gotta come down to the hospital wing!"

Aina questioned "What's the matter Hikaru?"

"It's a girl, I found her passed out in front of the cafeteria!"


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Tickets flew from the building, distracting Raphael from the battle at hand. He turned away from a second, before feeling sharp intense pain in his chest. He looked to see a knife lodged in his heart.

Gasping for air, the blade was removed by his attacker, as he slowly collapsed to the ground, and the world around him faded to black.

_Where... Where am I?_

His eyes parted. Kenta Kiyoshi had the most vivid dream: he was bested in combat by the orange haired kid that showed up three days prior.

He nearly leapt up, realizing his uniform lay torn on the stool next to him.

"Looks like that newbie got ya pretty good, wouldn't you say?"

"Great, I wake up from dying and the first thing I get is teasing from the president himself." Kenta's eyes rolled, and he spoke up again "That kid got lucky is all. Still, I gotta admit, I have seen skill like that in their ranks before. This could be a problem..."

Kenta broke his Raphael attitude. Right now he was Kenta Kiyoshi, and he wanted to beat that boy now.

Otonashi observed his pretend angel, and broke into uncontrollable laughter "Is the great "Raphael" concerned about something?"

Kenta's cheeks burned red, embarrassment took hold in his tone "N-no of course not! Don't be insane Otonashi. I'll make sure next time that kid doesn't land a cheap shot like he did yesterday."

Kenta scurried over to his desktop "I'll create more skills for me, he won't see it coming; next time we battle, he's all mine!"

Otonashi groaned audibly "Don't forget, you're not allowed to engage unless they attack first. No instigating them into fighting you either. We can't have them walking around constantly prepared for a fight. That's not gonna help them pass on at all."

"Not a problem. I'm sure they'll just wet themselves if I even show my face."

"Maybe not" The president replied "Perhaps now that they've seen you lose once, they won't fear you quite how they did prior to yesterday evening."

Kenta ignored the statement, eagerly awaiting his Angel Player to initiate.

* * *

**Meanwhile at the SSSII HQ**

"Guys, you gotta come down to the hospital wing!"

Aina questioned "What's the matter Hikaru?"

"It's a girl, I found her passed out in front of the cafeteria!"

"Meeting dismissed. Isamu, Neku, come with Hikaru and myself. Everyone else carry on with whatever business you have."

The group of four made their way to the campus cafeteria. The building stood out from the rest: the ceiling was a huge skylight, allowing the students within to enjoy a meal under natural lighting, the outside surrounded by ornate columns made in pairs, wrapping one another in double helix formations.

It was as Hikaru said, on the ground lay an unconscious petite girl. She had on glasses and had short black hair.

The group approached the girl "Damn, she's a cute one."

Minako growled at Isamu "Now is NOT the time to check out girls. Hikaru, Neku I want you to bring her to the infirmary. If she wakes up beforehand call me."

Minako lobbed a walkie talkie at Hikaru, which he caught skillfully.

"Isamu, back to HQ with me, we'll fill the others in."

"Aw come on, I wanted to spend some quality time with her." Isamu grinned.

"NOW ISAMU!" The blonde seethed.

Isamu and Minako left, with the latter pulling the former by his ear.

Neku and the energetic boy each took hold of one side of her, with Hikaru carrying her legs and Neku supporting her from under her arms.

They hoisted her up into a comfortable grip, and began their trek to the medical building.

After a while, Hikaru erupted into giggles out of seemingly nowhere.

"Hey kid, what's so funny?" Eyes focused on the turns they needed to make to reach the hospital building.

Hikaru was dying from the humor "Neku, you're groping her."

He froze. Slowly, he turned his head. Dare he look? What if he was? He couldn't be, surely Hikaru was playing a joke on him.

Curiousity getting the better of him, Neku turned his head anyways. His eyes ready to jump out of his sockets.

Neku couldnt believe what was going on. His hands were firmly gripping an unconscious girl's breasts. His knees felt weak.

_Oh dear God, I know we're fighting you and all that but PLEASE don't let her wake up! _

His grip slackened "Neku! What are you doing! You're gonna drop her like that! I know it's weird and all, but if we wanna get her to someplace safe, you're gonna have to make due with it." The giddy boy announced.

Neku was stuck between a rock and a hard place. If he let go, he'd drop her, and possibly hurt the girl, but if he kept holding on like this he would be a pervert...

"It's not much further, just deal with it! You can set her down in the elevator once we reach the building."

Swallowing nervously, and fighting back the impending nosebleed, he continued on what seemed to be the longest 2 blocks of his life.

_Please don't wake up, please don't wake up, please don't wa-_

"Ugh..."

_GOD DAMNIT._

The girl didn't wake up however, fortunately for Neku she was in a deeper sleep than they had thought.

After finally reaching the medical facility, Neku gently set down the girl, and sighed a breath of relief, as Hikaru chose the floor they headed to.

The doors closed, and the boy stood next to Neku, patting him on the back "It's alright Neku! I won't tell everyone that you're a total pervert! Pinkie promise!" Hikaru held out his pinkie, smiling childishly like always.

Ordinarily Neku didn't care for such silly things, but he hastily agreed to the promise. Anything to put the whole incident behind him and forget it happening.

The doors parted, revealing a corridor leading to several rooms, Neku took to carrying the girls legs this time in case the incident repeated itself.

After selecting a suitable room and settling the girl in, the duo wondered what the next step would be.

"Well, we're gonna need a class SSSII uniform in case she decides to join us, I'll go fetch that, keep an eye on her Neku!" Hikaru skipped off to the door, before abruptly stopping "And no touching, you crazy pervert!"

Neku stood there, unresponsive.

"It's not like I meant to! It just happened!" He announced loudly, however his childish companion was already several paces down the hallway.

_That could have just as easily been Hikaru in my situation. I'm a victim of circumstance!_

Breathing deeply, Neku attempted to regain his normal composure. He pulled up a chair next to the girl's bed, and leaned back.

_Why am I stuck babysitting anyways? Can't Hikaru tell I'm not exactly a people person?_

He gazed at the girl before him, studying her features. She looked like she was his age, probably a second year just like himself.

Her face was slender, spectacles complimented her eyes well.

Neku sat there a while.

The girl finally began to stir, her eyes slowly opening and adjusting to the lighting of the room.

She nervously looked around "What is this place..?"

Neku was caught off guard. He wasn't prepared for this kind of situation. He himself had only been in the afterlife for three days, there was no way he could explain to a complete stranger that they were dead.

_And there's the earlier incident._

Reaching for his walkie talkie, Neku patted himself searching for the communication device.

Upon further inspection, he realized he didn't have it- it was with Hikaru the whole time.

_Great, I'm stuck with the new girl..._

"Um, who are you?"

Neku was taken aback by the question, as if he didn't see it coming.

"Well.. I'm not very good at this but I guess I don't have a choice. My name is Neku Sakuraba. You're here cause you died. This is the afterlife."

_You're not doing half bad so far Neku!_

Fully awake now, the girl listened intently to Neku, as he rattled on about the world they were in, and about their fight against God and the angel Raphael.

Neku finished speaking, and finally caught his breath. "You talk a lot, don't you?" She asked playfully, smiling.

Neku's eyes widened. He didn't realize how he had begun ranting. That was unlike him.

Stuttering "Y-yea well, I kinda had to explain everything to you. I haven't been in the afterlife for more than three days so I'm really not the best person for the job, but I was the only one around."'

"Well, I guess I wouldn't mind joining you guys. I can't remember anything, so better safe than sorry!" she laughed.

"Got a name, girl?"

"Shiki Misaki."

* * *

In the room of Kenta Kiyoshi, the large boy stared triumphantly at his computer screen.

For four hours he had been tinkering with the finer workings of his Angel Player program, trying to construct an ability worthy of his new adversary.

The angel spoke to himself "I'll win next time."

Kenta shut down the program, closing the new menus he created.

He exited his room, and began his daily patrol of the campus. First, he would pass by the art center, then the cafeteria and medical center, going through all subsequent buildings in the order that he pleased.

As he passed by the cafeteria, he noted some graffiti drawn on one of the walls. It had various designs and looked as though a gang had taken serious effort into marking the wall.

_Could those students have done this? No, this is unlike them, they've never drawn graffiti before. What purpose would it serve them to start now?_

He also caught a glimpse of the boy that laid dead in the floor before he engaged in combat the previous day. He was walking towards the cafeteria, and had some sort of bag with him.

_Well suppose that's not really that suspicious. He's just getting food or bringing something to someone._

The angel continued on, passing by most buildings and having no problems at any of them. His last stop today was the medical center.

When he arrived on scene, he noticed the boy from the earlier night conversing with some girl that Kenta had never seen before.

_Is she an NCP? If he's talking to her she's probably one of them now, which means one more person to worry about getting in my hair._

Kenta hung his head in disappointment. He did agree to help Otonashi by acting as an angel, but even though he could win easily most of the time a fight erupted, it was still a pain to have to worry about another gun pointed at you.

_May as well go report this to him.._

Kenta redirected himself; he began to travel back to the Student Body President office.

* * *

Later, Neku and the new girl Shiki were on the rooftop of a building, overlooking the track field. It was late that day and the sun was setting.

The pair are just staring out into the horizon, before being disturbed by a third voice "Ah, there you two are, I've been looking everywhere for you."

The voice belonged to Minako "So you're the new girl huh, did Neku explain the whole situation to you?"

"Yea I'm pretty sure he covered everything. I think I'll be joining you, like Neku I have pretty bad amnesia."

"Great! I'll introduce you to the rest of the gang tomorrow."

A chuckle was heard "So that's the new girl?" a figure walked through the door, and Neku's blood began to boil "Well you're cute, I can tell you that much. Allow me to introduce myself. I am Yoshiya Kir-"

Joshua was abruptly cut off.

"Just call him Joshua." Neku spat venomously, turning away from the platinum haired boy.

Josh frowned "Yes that is what everyone around here calls me. Would it kill you to be polite, my dear Neku?" He snickered "After all, we're on the same side here, right?"

The boy said nothing, choosing to instead slip on his beats and walk off with his face buried by his collar.

"I'm sorry about those two Shiki" Minako apologized "I hope you don't pay them too much mind."

Shiki smiled and nodded "I think I'll be fine." Yawning "I don't suppose you guys could set me up somewhere for the evening, could you?"

"I'll take you to the dorms. There should still be a few unoccupied rooms in the girls section."

The two left Joshua alone on the rooftop, as he gazed off into the glowing skyline.

* * *

Following his report to Otonashi, Kenta was traversing the campus to make certain no student was disobeying the curfew rules. He arrived at the cafeteria, and saw a medium height figure at one of the walls.

The person was in an all black costume, and had a can of spray paint in hand. He was painting onto the wall what looked like the word CAT.

Kenta slipped on his crimson contacts before confronting the person "What do you think you're doing?"

The figure turned to him. The would-be angel spoke, standing tall and putting on his Raphael persona. "Not only should you know students are restricted to their dorms after school, but you're defacing school property as well. This is unacceptable."

"And what would you do about it?" the mysterious figure inquired. "I hope you're not planning on fighting me."

"Guard Skill:Handsonic"

The steel blade formed along Raphael's arm, extending out roughly 2 feet in front of him.

The kid in black giggled "Well that's not good." confidently he announced "You're outclassed my friend."

The boy in black pulled a knife from his belt and pointed it at the angel.

"Guard Skill: Disto-"

Before he had the time to activate the defensive skill, Kenta had been slashed by the boy. He fell to the floor, trying to recover.

_How fast is this kid?_

I tried to get up, but he had no feeling in his legs. He looked down and gasped at what he saw.

His torso had been severed at the waist down, the lower half of his body lay on the concrete oozing his blood onto the ground, staining it a deep red.

The boy in black laughed to himself, almost uncontrollably "I did warn him that he was unmatched." Looking over at Raphael, the two locked eyes.

Raphael glared at his killer. He studied his eyes, and everything began to fade.

The final thing he could see was the violet irises mocking him.


	4. Chapter 4

**For those of you reading this, I'd really like to see some reviews. I see I have traffic but I'm not getting any reviews regarded the quality of the story or anything, and I'd appreciate if I could have some input. Thanks, and enjoy this chapter!**

* * *

Neku was rudely awoken by the morning sunshine hitting his face. He heaved himself from his bed, and went over to his sink. Turning the faucet, he caught the running water with his hands and splashed it onto his face.

Grabbing the nearest towel, Neku's next concern was food. His stomach grumbled for nutrition. He changed out of his night clothing and opened his door, finding resistance as he opened it.

"I'm sorry!" Neku exclaimed. He went around the door. On the floor lay Joshua.

"Hmph, I take back my apology then."

Neku noticed Josh's bag on the floor. He could see a CD slipping out of it. Neku could make out the letters EL PLAYER, the rest being cut off from his sight.

Joshua snatched the bag up quickly, making sure to carefully stuff the contents back inside.

"Oh it's no big deal Neku. I should have watched where I was going." The violet eyed boy snickered, going his own way.

"See you later, partner." Joshua offered a lazy wave, raising his hand and making a gesture without even glancing at Neku.

Neku remembered how hungry he was when his stomach grumbled. He walked over to the elevator, managing to slip inside before its doors shut themselves to him.

In the elevator was Ichirou.

"Oh hey Neku! Good morning." The blond teen exclaimed cheerfully. "Fancy running into you here. You know, I haven't really gotten to talk to you yet. I'm sure you're really cool. Especially the way you took out Raphael the other night! I mean that was insane."

Neku opened his mouth, but was cut off.

"I know what you're thinking. How did we get the awesome idea of making a band right? Well I wish I could take credit for it but it's not something any of us came up with."

_This guy seriously doesn't shut up._

Neku, no longer listening to the rambling of the boy next to him, stared at the floor they were on.

The light indicated the pair were on the 3rd floor.

_Two more floors to go._

"-and with the laptop, we received tons of ways to combat God. It was left by a former group called the SSS but there's no trace of them left, so we named ourselves in honor of their brave struggle."

"Ichirou!" Neku shouted his name. The talkative teen jumped, startled by the sudden outburst. "Not to be rude, but do you ever shut the hell up?"

Ichirou's expression darkened.

"I mean, what is up with you? No normal person talks as much as you do. I swear, you just like hearing the sound of your own voice."

"I do.." Ichirou was tearing.

Neku stopped his rant. What had he said that upset the teen next to him so much? "Ichirou? Are you okay? Was it something I said?"

The elevator doors opened. "No, it's alright. It's okay, cause you had no idea."

_No idea of what?_

Neku stood uncertain of what to say next; the elevator doors opened, and Ichirou spoke again. "Come with me, you're going to eat some breakfast right? I'll explain on the way.

The pair walked out of the building's exit and Ichirou began speaking. "It has to do with my life."

"When I was alive, I was unable to speak. I was born a mute, due to a birth complication in my vocal chords. I grew up without a mother- she had died giving birth to me."

Tears welled in the young man's eyes. "I had trouble making friends in school. Nobody tried to communicate with me, I was just a freak to everyone. The school bully would stalk me and beat me up after class every day. My father hated me. He thought I would never amount to anything and always be completely useless. He would beat me out of anger, blaming me for mom's death. One day he went too far, and ended up beating me until I was bleeding out on the rug. He left me to die there. I don't know what become of him after."

Neku was wide-eyed. This poor soul led a horrible life.

"That's why I talk so much here. I never could in life, but when I awoke here, I had a working voice. I joined the SSSII cause I can't forgive God for giving me such an unfair life. If only I had my mother, I might have been able to cope with it all."

"Ichirou... I'm sorry."

"It's okay Neku. I manage with it, right now all I'm concerned with is getting back at God for what he did to me. Everyone here is."

_Everyone here.. Does that mean all the SSSII members led lives as terrible as Ichirou's? Wait, what does that mean my life was? Was my life horrible too?_

The two of them passed by the cafeteria building wall, which was littered with graffiti. Neku stopped. "Ichirou, you go on, I wanna take a look at this stuff."

The blond male walked on, entering the building through the double doors.

Neku admired the art on the wall. It was comforting to look at, offering the young man a sense of familiarity.

Neku's attention was drawn to one picture in particular. It was a mural of a cat, with a strange facial expression. The word "CAT" was painted in bold next to the painting.

The image spoke to Neku, and he felt a jolt run through his being.

Neku's mind flooded with images; he saw a wall similar to the one before him, only the graffiti stretched farther. The next thing he witnessed was him walking down a street, casually listening to his purple beats.

The final vision he saw was himself once again at the wall, admiring the various murals. He stared longingly at the ones with the word "CAT" painted next to them.

His dream was shattered, and he heard a gunshot. The vision faded to black before he could see the shooter.

Coming back to reality, Neku's eyes widened. It was all there, his life, everything.

No, not all of it. The memory surrounding his death was still missing. He couldn't recall the face of his killer, yet he could feel like he had seen him.

Deciding to tell Minako later, he opted to finally grab himself breakfast. He entered the cafeteria, selecting a helping of scrambled eggs, bacon and toast, and exchanging the meal ticket for his food. Setting his tray down at a table next to the vending machine, he walked over and inserted his money. Neku pushed a button and a can of orange juice dispensed.

* * *

After enjoying the meal, Neku wandered to the SSSII HQ, briefly stopping to admire the graffiti from earlier.

"Hey Neku." Minako fell in synch with his step.

"Ah Minako, this is perfect, I've been looking for you."

"What's the matter?"

"It's my memories. I've got them back."

The blonde frowned "Maybe we should go somewhere private. Come on, I've got just the place."

After a brief trek to the Athletic Center, the two found themselves on the rooftop overlooking the field once more.

"How bad is it?"

Neku was silent for a moment "It could've been worse. I lived in Shibuya, born and raised. My parents abandoned me at an early age, leaving me on my own. I was taken in at a local orphanage, but the children there didn't accept me as one of them."

Minako listened intently to the orange haired youth. "When I turned 14, I fought for the status of emancipated minor. Anything to get away from the orphanage. I got a part time job, and saved until I could afford a cheap place at Dogenzaka. School was tough. The students were brutal, and I would be beaten by the bullies frequently. One day, while running from them, I found an alleyway in I had never noticed before. There was art of all sorts on the wall. That was when I was introduced to the artistic genius CAT. His art inspired me to keep going. I would go to the mural during my free time between school and work. I could hardly stay away from the place. Beneath the antisocial shell I built around myself, I felt a connection made with CAT. His art spoke to me, no, it spoke to my soul."

"So how did you die?" Minako asked innocently.

Neku winced. "One day while I was admiring the murals, someone shot me. That part is still missing, I don't know the face of my killer. I can feel the memory there, but when I try to call on it, nothing comes."

The girl frowned "Well that doesn't make sense. Whenever someone around here got their memories back, it all came at once."

"Do you think... My killer is in this world?"

"I dunno, what gives you that impression?"

"The murals near the cafeteria. They're what sparked my memories to return, and the resemblance to the ones drawn by CAT was far too similar to be randomly created. Someone from my city must be around here to even know about him."

Neku about-faced, and leaned on the handrail behind him "How about you Minako? Not to intrude, but what was your life like?"

"Is Neku Sakuraba asking a personal question? When did you grow a heart?" Minako smiled sadly "Sure I'll tell you, only because you told me your story though."

Neku leaned forward off the rail, and shifted to face Minako, making eye contact.

"My family wasn't much of a family at all. My mom and dad worked long hours, barely scrapping together money to pay the bills. I didn't blame them for it, I knew they cared. Still, I craved emotional fulfillment. I desired that familial connection that other kids my age all had with their parents."

Minako paused, drawing in a breath before continuing the tale.

"It was my final year of high school. I was ready to graduate and head out into the world. No more than a month in, I met a guy, and I fell hopelessly in love with him. He saw that, and pretended to reciprocate the feelings. Less than two months later, I was pregnant and he had left me, having used my wish to feel loved in order to take advantage of me. Months went by, and the other students would always talk about the pregnant girl behind her back. The time finally came, and the child was ready to be born. Labor was long and rough. In the end, I gave birth to a healthy baby boy. Unfortunately his life came at the cost of mine, and I had died."

Minako was sobbing at this point "It's cruel really. I know being a mother would be extremely difficult, and probably was something I wasn't ready for. However, a child would have been exactly what I asked for, unconditional love. I wish I could have met him. I would have been as good a mother as I could've been.."

_So it's true then. Everyone here lived a rough life to an extent._

Neku opened his arms, and pulled the blonde girl close to him, tightly embracing her and rubbing the back of her head as if to tell her things were okay.

Wiping her tears the blonde quelled her sobbing "Neku, we should go."

"I'll catch up with you later. There's some thinking I need to do."

The two said their goodbyes, and Minako left Neku to his thoughts on the rooftop.

_I think it's time I have a conversation with the president of the student body._

Once more, Neku took his beats and placed them upon his head. Casually walking to the entrance to the building, his steps corresponded to the beat of the music screaming into his ears.

* * *

At the dorms, Otonashi and Kenta were having a discussion. The topic was the mysterious stranger that Kenta had contact with the evening before.

"So you couldn't see his face?"

"Nope. All I could see that would we be a defining characteristic would be the eyes. His were a violet color."

"And you said he killed you in one slash, without you even having a chance to respond? This could be bad..." Otonashi furrowed his brow. If someone could single-handedly defeat Kenta without breaking a sweat, they could prove to be a real problem. His plan to put all the SSSII members at peace didn't account for such a sudden development.

"I want you to be careful Kenta. Don't confront anyone you don't recognize as an SSSII member. Worst case scenario we should be able to figure out who it is that did this to you last night by process of elimination, if the person is with them at all."

"But the eyes. I could clearly make out violet, only two SSSII members I know of have violet eyes."

"The same way you have crimson eyes. They could just as easily be disguising themselves and masking their eye color as a way to throw you off. Just don't eliminate anyone as a possibility until you have good reason."

"I'll practice making guard skills. It wouldn't hurt to have some new abilities, especially if this guy was holding back."

"Agreed." Otonashi exited Kenta's room, and the tall male searched his drawers. He opened one and was surprised to find what he was looking for wasn't there. He frantically searched the room, checking in any place he might have accidentally put the item.

After 20 minutes, the boy was sweating "This isn't good, someone got the Angel Player!"

Meanwhile, Neku was heading for the dorm rooms. He wanted to speak to Otonashi, now understanding that he was serious when he spoke to him the first day.

He approached the desk on the first floor, with a security lady behind it.

_You know, now that I think about it, I've never spoken to one of the NPCs. I wonder how human they are._

"Um excuse me ma'am, I'd like to know which room President Yuzuru Otonashi is in."

She looked at Neku "One moment please." She typed away on the computer and a window came up with a picture of Otonashi in it. "Says here that he's in room 354, third floor."

Neku thanked the woman, and made for the elevator. The doors opened and Joshua walked out. "Ah good afternoon Neku."

"Hey Josh." The teen was too focused on his objective at hand to bother with the annoying boy's attitude.

Entering, Neku pushed the button for the third floor, and waved to Josh "See you later."

_Hopefully not._

Arriving at his destination, Neku turned right and proceeded down the east wing. He caught a glimpse of Otonashi entering his room, and called out to the flame-haired boy.

"Hey! President Otonashi! I gotta talk to you!" He said, running to Yuzuru.

"Ah, well hello Neku, come on in." He opened the door wide, politely allowing his guest to enter first.

Shutting the door behind him, Otonashi asked "What can I help you with Neku?"

"It's about what you said. I finally understand it, after hearing the stories of some of my friends here, I realize what you said to be true."

"So what now?"

"How do I get out of here? What do I need to do ?"

Otonashi smiled, having finally gotten through to the stubborn boy.

"You have to be able to let go of all your regretful emotions. If you can do that, you'll be able to pass on and have a second chance at life."

_So that's how it works._

"I get the feeling you don't want to just pass on though" Otonashi continued. "I see a bit of myself in you, and if you're anything like me, you wanna help the others pass on. See, not too long ago I was like you. I awoke in this world without any memory of my past. I joined the SSS and fought Angel with them. When I learned about the nature of the afterlife I decided to help them pass on."

"Maybe I do want to help them. Nobody deserved the lives they were dealt."

"Tell you what. If you can learn all their lives, I'll do my part and help them pass on. Sound fair?"

"...Deal."

The boy got up, opening the door and stopping "What about you Otonashi? Why are you still here?"

"Because I need to be." Otonashi plainly stated.

Content with the answer, Neku left the room, the door swinging closed behind him.

Thinking out loud "It's exactly as I thought. History is repeating itself."

Otonashi's door opened once more, revealing the face of Kenta Kiyoshi. "Otonashi, we have a problem! Someone stole the Angel Player program from my room!"


	5. Chapter 5

**Here's Chapter 5! I had a bit of trouble writing this one, but here it is! Chapter 6 is already done, but I'm making sure to review it thoroughly before I post it. R&R please!**

* * *

"What do you mean someone stole the Angel Player?"

"Someone must have gotten into my room while I wasn't looking." Kenta gasped "The perfect chance would have been while my body was recovering from dying. The only one who knew I was dead was the guy that killed me, he wouldn't have hesitated to slip into my room since there would've been no danger!"

His theory was solid. The pieces fit together perfectly.

Kenta eyes widened, and he began breathing heavily. Unable to stand, his knees collapsed beneath him and he tumbled onto the floor "Otonashi... If I'm right, and the guy who killed me took my Angel Player. What could he possibly do with it. He was already powerful enough to take me out easily. What sort of strength would the power of an angel grant him."

Otonashi choked. True, Kenta wasn't a born fighter, but his abilities gave him an immeasurable edge over normal opponents. For someone to be able to match him, and to gain the very same powers he had... Otonashi shuddered at the thought.

"What do we do?" The angel asked fearfully.

"We need to recover the program at any cost. The sooner the better. Until we retrieve it we have no idea what sort of insane things they could do with it."

The two sat in silence, trying to plan a course of action.

* * *

Meanwhile, the SSSII was in the gymnasium, preparing for a sparring exercise.

Everyone had chosen a partner save for Neku. Neku stood wondering what he would do, when Joshua walked into the room.

_Crap._

The platinum haired boy looked around, saw Neku, and performed his signature chuckle before speaking "Looks like we're partners again, dearest Neku."

_On second thought, maybe this won't be so bad._

Neku smiled. He had an excuse to beat Joshua to a bloody pulp. Selecting a wooden sword roughly a foot and a half in length from the rack, he spun to face Joshua.

Joshua strolled over and selected a wooden sword for himself. The two took positions opposite one another, blades at the ready.

Neku flicked his wrist so he could wield his shortsword in reverse.

Josh made the first move, charging Neku and going for a stab, which the orange-haired boy deflected with his own weapon. Joshua hopped back, putting some distance between the two.

_Since I'm holding my weapon in reverse he's trying to stay out of my shortened range. Not bad…_

Neku closed the distance and aimed for a horizontal strike. At the last possible moment, he dropped onto his hand and used his legs to perform a spin aiming at the platinum-haired teens' legs. Joshua jumped and evaded the strike, leaving it to only cut air. He retaliated with a downward stab- however, Neku was quick and easily rolled out of the way.

Both teens eyed one another, their violet eyes glaring at their opponent.

Josh and Neku simultaneously swung, their weapons sliding off of one another. Taking advantage of the opening with his grip on the weapon, Neku stabbed forward. The strike nearly connected with Josh's abdomen. Josh turned, allowing the blow to harmlessly pass by him, following through on the spin and striking Neku on the shoulder. Sweat flung from Josh's face as the spin halted.

Neku winced slightly, the impact of the wooden weapon stinging.

_He's no pushover, he almost seems to be playing with me._

Continuing their fight, Neku ducked as Josh swung for his head, aiming for a fatal strike. The boy rolled forward and turned to face Joshua.

"Not half bad Neku. You may be some fun after all."

He clenched his teeth, grunting loudly as he altered his grip on his weapon, now using a traditional forward grip. Neku rapidly swung, his attacks being parried effortlessly, clicking and clacking with the other wooden weapon. Tired of this, Josh went on the offensive, advancing on Neku and slashing repeatedly. He carefully blocked each strike, only with seconds to prepare for the next as his face became flushed from all the movement.

_He's totally playing with me. He can swing faster he's just choosing not to._

The two traded assaults back and forth, neither gaining an edge over the other. By this time, all the other members had stopped their matches and were watching the fight play out.

_I can't let this bastard win!_

Neku stopped mid strike, and instead fell back giving himself distance between him and Josh. Once again flicking his wrist, Neku now held his weapon in reverse.

The fighters treaded carefully, moving in a circular pattern around an invisible center while waiting for his opponent to make a move.

All that could be heard was their heavy breaths, or rather, the deep breathing from Neku.

Sweat fell from both fighters, splashing gently onto the floor below. Everything went quiet for a moment, and neither one looked like they would make a move.

Joshua stepped forward twice, grinning at his foe. He thrusted his weapon forward at Neku's chest which Neku redirected with his own.

Neku's eyes narrowed; now was his chance.

Seeing his opening, Neku closed in, and his weapon found itself beside Joshua's neck indicating victory.

"Looks like I win." The teen triumphantly stated.

Joshua giggled "Neku, my dear. Look again."

In his haste to close the distance, Neku carelessly ended up redirecting Josh's sword. Because of his mistake, it was now poised for his throat.

"So it's a draw then," Minako declared. "Impressive display you two. I've never seen such a close fight like that before."

Murmers could be heard from the group, mainly consisting of how glad they were that these two were on their side.

Joshua hastily left, seemingly happy that the session had finally come to an end.

Neku grabbed a towel and wiped the sweat off his face, exhausted from the spar.

"That was really cool you know."

Neku looked up to see the girl Shiki in front of him.

He smiled "Thanks. I just really wanted to kick the crap out of him is all."

The two laughed.

"Hey Neku, wanna go get something to eat? I'm pretty hungry."

Before he could protest, his stomach growled loudly.

_Looks like I don't have a say in the matter._

"I'll take that as a yes!" The brunette said, giggling.

Neku grabbed his headphones and the two were on their way.

* * *

**In Otonashi's room.**

"I was surprised that the president of the student body would call me to his own room, for a private meeting so I just had to come and sate my curiosity."

Across from Otonashi sat the SSSII leader, Minako.

"I didn't have a choice. Something sure has happened."

Minako listened, curious as to what could be so bad that he felt the need to call the one that swore him as their enemy on such short notice.

"What do you want me to do about it? Last time I checked, my group and you disagreed on a few things." The blonde said coyly "It would be in my best interest not to help you."

"Someone has found a way to harness the same powers as the Vice President. What's more, he could easily defeat Kenta without even putting up much of a fight. We fear he may have violent intentions and wanted your cooperation in handling the individual."

"Kenta? So that's the real name of the angel we've been fighting huh?" Minako said, redirecting the topic. She wanted to toy with Otonashi.

"Miss Minoru, I don't think you understand how serious this is. If this person truly has the powers of an angel, they could wreak havoc in this world. He'll come for Kenta first, and then myself, and if we can't handle him, what hope does your group have? Our only choice is to call a truce!"

"I see your point. Even then though, if our enemy is so powerful, how would we even fight them in the first place? I see no feasible means of fighting them."

Otonashi's phone rang. He excused himself, and checked the number, recognizing it as Kenta.

"Hello?"

"Otonashi, I found the program. It was in my drawer underneath the instruction manual."

"So you misplaced it then"

"No. I checked there before. Besides when I opened it, a hair was inside. I think I know who had it."

_We've got them!_

"I want to see the hair for myself. Hide the program somewhere extremely safe to prevent further tampering. We need to make sure nobody can get hold of it again especially with what we have going on now."

"Yes Otonashi. I'm on my way."

Otonashi set the phone down.

"We've got an idea of who it was." Otonashi turned to Minako. "If you're willing to help us, I have a plan to apprehend them."

* * *

At the cafeteria, Neku and Shiki had just finished enjoying their lunch. The pair cleaned up their mess, and began to talk.

"So Shiki, have you gotten your memories back?"

The girl frowned "Nuh uh, not yet. But you did right? It must be great."

"Eh, it's alright. I don't feel too different than from before." Neku lied. Just because he knew the nature of this world, doesn't mean she had to yet.

Shiki and Neku departed from the cafe. A voice called out to them.

"Yo! Phones, Shiki! Wait up!"

They turned to see Beat running towards them. "Since when am I called phones?"

"Since you started wearin' them phones all the time."

It's true, once gaining his memory back, Neku was never seen without his purple beats. It felt unnatural NOT having them perched atop his spiky orange hair.

"Anyways, did you need something Beat?" Neku crossed his arms.

Defensively "I didn' want nothin'! I just thought maybe I could chill with you."

"Well of course you can! Right Neku?" The bubbly girl answered.

_What?I didn't say that!_

Shiki pouted at Neku pleadingly.

"...Come on." He turned and began walking, expecting the other two to keep up.

"So whatchu' think 'bout this place, huh Phones?" The blond boy asked.

_Ugh I can't believe Shiki seriously made me agree to this guy tagging along. His speaking skills make me want to rip my ears off._

"Well it's certainly interesting. An angel and god and everything. Never thought I'd see anything like this in my lifetime, but I guess this isn't really my lifetime."

Shiki's jaw dropped, and then she began to giggle "Did you just make a joke Neku? That's so unlike you, maybe you're growing soft."

Neku chuckled lightly "I dunno. Maybe. Anyways, how long have you been here Beat?"

The grammatically challenged teen pondered for a moment "I'm not sure. I ain't been keepin' track of how long I been here, you feel me?"

"Yea I understand. About as much as I'll ever understand anyways."

The trio walked off in unison, talking and laughing together.

* * *

Meanwhile, Otonashi, Minako and Kenta all went to the SSSII HQ.

Walking into the room, everyone took a defensive stance upon seeing not only Raphael, but the student body president as well.

"Minako what's going on here?" Megumi shouted. "Why are these two in our HQ?"

Joshua stood in the corner curiously watching the events before him.

"Someone has managed to acquire the power of an angel. Someone dangerous. They single handedly bested Rap- I mean, Kenta, and that was without the power. I fear this individual may be on the prowl, and is extremely dangerous, so for our best interests I have decided to call a truce between these two and to join with them to eliminate this enemy."

The whole room was in whispers. Nobody seemed sure what would happen now, and had no idea what should be done.

"Does that mean we have another enemy?" Hikaru questioned fearfully "What are we gonna do?"

The quiet teen Yori spoke up "Otonashi, I'm sure you have a plan of some sort, right?"

He nodded "For safety's sake, we'll round up all the missing members at the moment. That means Neku, Shiki, and Beat. Once we've contacted them, we'll attempt to confront the enemy." Otonashi announced. It was apparent how he had gotten into his position, the boy possessed leadership skills. "We still have no idea who the enemy could be. It could be anyone at this moment, so we'll have to narrow things down somehow."

"Are you crazy?" Ichirou asked "That's insane! How are we gonna fight someone who we don't even know the identity of?"

Aina squealed "Yea, what do you expect us to do?"

"I expect you to fight." The flame haired president bluntly stated.

"I expect everyone to be prepared for perhaps the toughest battle we have ever endured. No holding back guys." Minako attempted to motivate her companions.

Everyone armed themselves and Yori spoke again "What if we run out of ammunition?"

Otonashi replied "We'll be taking a trip to the guild in order to stock up on supplies. Carry with you only what you need, the trek back is going to be rough."

They all marched out, Otonashi waiting for everyone to exit the room before following behind. As Joshua walked by, the two locked eyes for a split second.

Otonashi shut the door behind him, his plan now put into motion.

* * *

Neku, Shiki and Beat sat on the rooftop and were all talking. Somehow, the topic of Joshua came up.

"Yo man, I hate that prissy kid Phones. Like, what's his deal yo?"

"I think he's just naturally an asshole." Neku replied.

"Beat, what was your life like?" Shiki asked innocently.

Neku grinned nervously. He didn't know anything about the life the teen led, but he was sure if he was here it couldn't be too good.

"I'm sorry Shiki, I jus' don't feel comfortable talking 'bout it, you feel me?"

The brunette frowned, disappointed "Okay then."

"I'll tell you one thing though." Beat said "I died because someone shot me yo."

_Beat was shot too?_

"Hey Beat, does the name CAT mean anything to you?"

"CAT? Where I come from he was a mad popular artist. I really digged his work, man. That stuff was crazy, like he could speak with his art."

"Beat, where'd you grow up?" Neku asked curiously.

"Well Phones, I grew up in the city of Shibuya."

_No way._

"Really? That's insane. I did too."

"You fo' real Phones?"

Neku replied smoothly "Yea. I knew all about CAT, and he was an inspiration. It's weird. I died the same way as you did."

Shiki merely sat listening to the two boys go back and forth talking about Shibuya and a whole bunch of stuff she was clueless about. Even though she had no idea what they were talking about, being there felt... right.

Neku's walkie talkie spoke "Neku, where are you? Are Shiki and Beat with you?"

"Yup, what do you need Minako?"

"We've got a problem, where are you guys?"

"We're at the rooftop near the athletic center."

"Good, meet us at the entrance to that building and make it quick! We have no time to spare."

They hastily made their way downstairs, and exited to see the entirety of the SSSII waiting for them.

Not only them though, with them was Yuzuru Otonashi and the angel Raphael.

"What's going on here?" Neku shouted "Why are you guys working with them?"

Minako replied "We have no choice. I'll allow Otonashi to explain.

"Neku, this is the problem. Someone has managed to acquire the same powers as Kenta has now. And we fear the intentions that they could harbor." Otonashi went on "We needed to join forces to even stand a chance, this person was able to strike him down without even breaking a sweat."

"Do we have any idea who it is?" Neku asked.

Minako approached Neku, handing him a handgun and a broadsword

"Guard Skill: Distortion" Kenta called out.

"We know exactly who it is." The blonde turned, raising her weapon and aiming at Joshua "They found a silver hair in Kenta's belongings. Care to explain that?"

The platinum haired teen grinned "Not too bad. I stole the program that gives the "angel" his power. I studied it, learning its inner workings and how to manage those powers. Why wait though? If you knew it was me, why would you wait so long to bring it to light?" Josh questioned

"Because" Otonashi began "If we had done it earlier, you would have fled after killing us all. If we got everyone together, we all stand a better chance of apprehending you."

Joshua grinned maliciously. Neku clenched his teeth.

_This son of a bitch. What's he planning?_

"Thanks to your program, I've not only gained your abilities but I've developed my own."

"To what end does this serve you?" Otonashi questioned "Why are you doing this?"

There was a silence. Tension ran high in the air, and the sound of a heartbeat could be heard.

Joshua cackled maniacally, breaking the silence "What's wrong with a god reclaiming his power?"


	6. Chapter 6

**Well here's chapter 6 guys. I've been ridiculously busy with finals/graduation. I hope you all enjoy whats essentially a ginormous fight scene. Chapter 7 IS in the making so yea. **

**And now, on with the chapter!**

* * *

"To what end does this serve you?" Otonashi questioned "Why are you doing this?"

There was a silence. Tension ran high in the air, and the sound of a heartbeat could be heard.

Joshua cackled maniacally, breaking the silence "What's wrong with a god reclaiming his power?"

There was a collective gasp among the group.

"That can't be!" Otonashi exclaimed "If you are god, why choose now to show your face? I've been in this afterlife for a long time and not once have I seen you until now!"

"It's simple really," Joshua calmly said, flipping his hair out of his face "I have a reason to eradicate this plane from existence. However, someone else would see that it remains to exist, offering sanctity for the tortured souls that pass through here. I'm merely playing a game with this person, and you all are caught in the middle of it. Entering this plane stole my powers from me, so I used your Angel Player program to restore myself to full power."

_So that was it. He wanted this world gone, and someone else sought to save it. We're just pieces on a chessboard. But who's pieces are we?  
_  
"How does your opponent win? What needs to be done in order to protect this world?" Neku shouted, his anger rising to a boiling point. Kenta stood, still ready with his Guard Skill from earlier. A battle was inevitable.

Chuckling, Joshua playfully stated "Now now Neku. If I told you how to beat the game, what fun would that be?"

Neku roared "Damn you!" Sword and gun in hand, he charged the platinum haired deity shooting rapidly.

Smirking, "Guard Skill:Distortion"

Kenta reacted quickly "Look out Neku, he has guard skills!"

The entire group had scattered and attempted to position themselves strategically. Minako crouched behind a wall, dual pistols in hand.

"Neku are you fucking crazy! You're running at god you retard!"

Neku charged anyways, still roughly 20 feet away as he aimed his firearm and let off multiple shots. "Guard Skill:Holy Flame" Kenta chanted, the pinpoint blast striking Josh on his forehead.

Smoke covered the battlefield, multiple shots were being fired off in random directions, producing sound that could shatter one's eardrums. The scent of adrenaline hung in the air.

Using the blast as cover, Neku slipped behind Joshua. He was positioned behind the God, and time seemed to slow for a moment. Everything was happening at half speed, and Neku's heartbeat pounded, being the only thing he heard. He reeled his arm back, preparing for a strike.

"Guard Skill:Handsonic Version 10"

From Joshua's hands extended a blade on each arm. They were roughly 4 feet in length and shimmered even through the smoke. Near his hand, a guard extended from both sides making the weapons look like gigantic ornate crosses. He swung one, easily protecting himself from Neku's attack.

"Guard Skill:Handsonic Version 7" Kenta called out, his arms also turning into blades. The blades didn't look like swords, rather they bore the appearance of angel wings. The weapons curved, and the "bone" of the weapon was colored a pure gold, with white "feathers" making up the rest of the blade. Each one was razor sharp, but only upon close inspection could someone see it.

"Well those look pretty. They almost suit you." Josh casually uttered "Why don't we just do this one on one, angel vs. God?"

"Oh hell no. You are not leaving me out of this you piece of shit!" Neku screamed, attempting to strike Joshua out of sheer frustration, swinging randomly without a clear idea of what he was doing.

"Sorry, partner" he chucked, and no sooner than he did, he rotated his arm 360 degrees, catching Neku's sword with one of his blades, and used the other to pierce Neku directly through his heart.

"Neku!" nearly the entire group, save for Joshua called out of concern. Joshua withdrew his Handsonic from Neku's torso, and watched as he fell to the floor, grinning devilishly.

Everything got quiet again. Yori, the silent one screamed out "What the fuck is everyone waiting for? Shoot the fucker!"

The entire SSSII raised their weapons, all aimed at Joshua.

"Fire!" Minako shouted, and in a split second, the air was humming with a symphony of gunshots, each bang playing a note to complete the tune.

"Guard Skill:Ascension" Joshua murmured. On cue, from his back sprouted two angel wings. The wings were golden in color, possibly made with the precious metal itself. They must have been at least 7 feet in length each too. Each feather shimmered, and reflected the sunlight making the wings glow with a light that looked divine.

The wings flapped, raising Joshua into the air, and pulling him away from the bullet storm below.

"I'll get you damnit!" Kenta said, leaving out the word god, considering their opponent, and then followed with his own ability "Guard Skill:Ascension."

Kenta grew his own pair of wings. They were a combination of black and silver, with the feathers alternating between the colors and the rest being black. While Joshua's wings gave off a divine glow, Kenta's instead shone with a mystical glimmer. Not evil, just mysterious.

Taking to the skies in pursuit of his adversary, Kenta soared with his blades poised to strike the God before him.

"Give Kenta cover fire! Focus on keeping Joshua occupied!"

All SSSII members fired a barrage of lead in order to aid the would-be angel. However, Joshua wasn't fazed by this.

"My my, such dark wings Kenta. If I didn't know any better I would assume you've fallen." The silver-headed boy mused "Allow me to extend to you my forgiveness."

Each figure darted toward one another, prepared for an attack. As he approached Josh, Kenta whispered something inaudible before meeting the god head on and locking their handsonics.

As the blades met, Joshua stared mockingly into Kenta's sky blue eyes with his own violet ones, a gaze meant to mirror the one he gave after he previously murdered Kenta. Joshua could see many emotions in the boy's eyes. Fear. Anger, Sadness and the most prominent of them being disgust.

Finally, Joshua broke the stare, something had moved up in the air with them, but it definitely wasn't Kenta, as the false angel was still in front of him with their weapons locked together. A moment later, and a splitting pain overtook his right arm.

Grinning at the success of his trick, Kenta finally retreated and placed distance between himself and Joshua. His heartbeat was racing from the tension of the prior moment, and the breeze in the air only served to chill the sweat abundant on his features.

Joshua turned to see his attacker when he noticed it was another Kenta. This one wasn't quite the same as the one he was face to face with moments ago. This doppelganger appeared to lack the same lifelike features as the Kenta he was face to face with just before. At least, the eyes betrayed as much. Gripping his right arm, the boy with the violet eyes noticed something peculiar. His entire arm was missing from his shoulder onward, instead replaced with a bleeding stub.

"W-what did you do to me? What have you done to God?" The teen panicked, clearly not prepared for such a quick change of tides.

"Well I merely used my Harmonics skill to create a clone and have it take care of you while I had your attention." He smugly replied.

Joshua cringed, the bleeding from his dismembered appendage disturbing him. He closed his eyes for a moment, and grinned widely before opening them again, with a confident look in them.

"Guard Skill:Divine Recovery!" The God exclaimed, throwing his remaining arm up to the skies to add dramatic effect.

The stub where an extremity was once attached to glowed, and from it sprouted the shape of a limb. It was made entirely of blinding light that slowly dimmed, leaving in its place a whole arm.

Kenta hovered in the air wordless, distraught by what he had just seen. He broke into a heavy sweat, concerned at the direction the battle was taking. At this rate they would be completely crushed, and he was the only one even able to touch Joshua, which proved to do little good for him.

"Well now that's much better, it would ruin my perfection if I was missing a limb." Joshua teased, no longer panicking as he was merely moments before. "So where were we? Right. Guard Skill:Handsonic Version 10."

Regaining his other weapon, Joshua flew at Kenta, upset by the earlier antics of the boy.

Snapping out of his stupor, Kenta did the same, closing this distance between the two in no time.

Finally meeting face to face again, Kenta's heartbeat thumped hard. With adrenaline racing through his system, he made the first move and slashed his left arm at Joshua, the strike being harmlessly being deflected by the other teen's own weapon.

"Minako, we're running low on ammo! What do we do?" Ichirou worriedly asked.

"We've got to make all of our shots count. There are some other rounds over by Shiki, go grab only what you need and no more, we can't afford to waste any!" The blonde girl ordered "Otonashi go check on Neku's body! Be sure to put him somewhere away from further harm."

As this all happened, Kenta and Joshua were slashing and dodging one another routinely. They founght as if they were dancing, each perfectly moving to their established tempo, while dodging the barrage of gunshots from below.

"Guard Skill:Double Time" Joshua called out. The ability doing seemingly nothing. Kenta stood cautious waited for the attack.

Defensively, he reacted with his Distortion guard skill, still uncertain of what to expect.

In a flash Joshua was upon him, moving with a speed he had not seen before. He struggled, aimlessly raising and swinging his Handsonics in an attempt to block the flurry of strikes.

The air rang with the sound of steel meeting steel repeatedly. Along with the gunshots it nearly formed a tune of some sort. A symphony of battle.

"Otonashi! How is he?" Shiki worriedly asked, taking her eyes off the duel above them.

"Well he's dead, that's for sure. Josh stabbed him directly through the heart. It'll be a little while before he wakes up."

Beat turned to the pair and spoke "I can't believe dis yo. That punk is gonna get it!"

Otonashi removed a bandage from the first aid kit they had brought and carefully wrapped the wound and made sure to cover it in its entirety.

"That should make things a little more comfortable once he wakes up" The fire-haired boy stated.

Minako continued to unload her rounds in the direction of Joshua, carefully aiming each shot and making the most of her bullets. After several shots her gun clicked. "Shit, I'm out of rounds." She tossed the weapon aside and grabbed her handgun, and inspected her supply of bullets "Only 4 clips huh? Gotta make it last."

In the air, Kenta was in bad shape. While he had managed to keep up with Joshua's inhumane speed, it had taken its toll on him. The false angel had cuts littered across his body, and his clothing was ripped in multiple places. He was slowing down, barely able to raise his weapon in time to parry a strike, only to have to worry about the next blow almost immediately after.

It was just Kenta and Joshua now. The SSSII had completely run out of ammunition, and could only watch as their final hope slowly was worn down.

Kenta raised his arm to block once more, however, not in time as Joshua swung his cross and caught him before he could defend himself. The blade cut through the bone, most perfectly cutting Kenta in two.

The boy's eyes widened upon feeling the cold steel invading his system and slicing through him. He choked for a moment, nearly catching his heart in his throat. Finally, his wings ceased flapping, and he fell from his lofty seat rapidly approaching the ground. Joshua smiled in satisfaction as he landed on the ground with a thud.

"Kenta!" Otonashi called out, horrified by what he'd just seen.

"It seems we're done here. Unless anyone else was intending to put up a fight?" Joshua questioned, mocking the group before him.

The glares from all the kids were burning into Joshua. They all wanted nothing more than to deliver to him a brutal death, especially for what he had just done.

"Well if that's the case, I might as well prepare for the final week." Joshua whispered to himself.

Spreading his golden wings, Joshua flew up higher, until the sun was at his back. His wings refracted the light, shining the area in a brilliant glow.

"Guard Skill:Heavenly Judgment"

The light grew brighter. The brighter it got, the more the SSSII members couldn't focus.

Beat clutched his head, he seemed to struggle with something for a moment, but only for a moment as he collapsed almost immediately after.

One by one, everyone else followed in his stead, dropping to the ground like flies.

* * *

"U-ugh, what happened to me?" Neku awoke with confusion.

Looking around, it appeared to be early evening. The sun was setting and the sky a bright red.

_Let's see... Last thing I remember is fighting Josh, and then he-_

Neku gasped, recalling the gruesome manner in which he was killed. He realized his chest was wrapped securely in a bandage. Someone must have taken care of him while he was out.

In his peripheral vision, he noticed a figure laying on the floor.

"Shiki!" Neku arose quickly, rushing over to the girl's side. He placed his fingers to her neck, feeling a pulse.

"She's just passed out.." Neku said to himself. Looking around the clearing, he could make out the other members of the SSSII, all in a similar condition to Shiki. They lay on the ground, passed out as if they just fell there.

Neku's eyes welled with tears.

_I'll kill him. I'll kill that fucking bastard, I swear it!_

"Seems live you've woken up, partner." A voice spoke from above.

Looking towards the sound, Neku clenched his teeth when he observed Joshua floating above the carnage, staying aloft with two angel wings.

"I'll kill you Joshua! You hear me? You're as good as dead!" Neku yelled, his voice cracking as he spoke.

"Well if you're so certain, then let us play a game" The violet-eyed deity stated "Kill me Neku. You have one week. Fail and be subject to permanent erasure. Can you do it? I just can't wait to see."

With that, Joshua flapped his wings and took off into the skies, flying off towards the sunset.

Something fell slowly, and Neku scrambled to catch it. Opening his palm, he revealed a feather, gold like the sun.

* * *

**I would also like to extend a personal thank you to SilverWingedGentleman, for being the first person other than my friend to review this story. (seriously guys, review, even if you're anonymous. It's freeeee)**


	7. Chapter 7

**Well hello everyone! It's been a while since I've updated, I know. I decided to take my time with my writing since I haven't beengetting many reviews anyways. Here's chapter 7, and I'm feeling really good about this one! Enjoy!**

* * *

Wings flapped majestically, breaking the silence of the evening. The sky was dark, black even. The only sources of light were the shimmering moon, and its light, reflected off of two golden wings.

Joshua landed gracefully, hardly making a sound as his feet met the earth below him. His wings folded, and compacted until they were no longer able to be seen. Scanning the area, the boy spotted an abandoned cabin to the left, and headed towards it.

The cabin wasn't exactly impressive. It looked as if someone had neglected to maintain it for several years now, and the wood was rotting all on the outside. The door barely was attached to the hinges, creaking loudly as the teen pulled it open.

The interior wasn't what one would quite expect of such a rundown looking building. Following a stairwell down, Joshua slowly descended downwards with only the sound of his footsteps echoing down the staircase.

At the base of the stairs, he arrived at a pair of doors. The doors were large, and a dark red color. He turned the knob and pushed, revealing a fancy room inside.

The room had a kind of 60's theme. The couch was an old retro sort of style, and there were lava lamps littered in a couple of places. One wall was covered by a bookshelf that has various different novels and encyclopedias resting on it. The place was almost something of a bachelor's pad, complete with a personal bar in the corner. Anyone living the single life would love to have such a luxurious place.

The most interesting thing was the floor. It was entirely see-through glass, and had various kinds of fish swimming back and forth.

"Ah, home sweet home." he sank into the sofa, and sprawled out his limbs.

He leaned and took hold of the remote near his seat, clicking a red button in the middle. The stereo across the room roared to life, blaring a loud, heavy metal sounding song.

"Now open your eyes the pieces are all over. Now you should accept this. It is over." The teen sang loudly, his pitch rising and falling in unison with the music. As Joshua sang, another person's approaching footsteps could be heard. As the sound neared, the figure of a tall man could be made out.

"Sorry to disturb you, Mr. Composer. Judging by your singing you're in a good mood." The man said plainly. His features were rather fitting of the room they were in. He had sunglasses shielding his eyes from sight, and deep red headphones hanging from his neck. His raven shaded hair was long and fell just above his shoulder blades. He donned a black coat, which hung open revealing a white button down beneath. The shirt was only partially buttoned, with a deep V showing off his toned chest.

"Ah, Megumi Kitaniji. How nice of you to stop and say hello. I actually am in quite a good mood." Joshua rolled up his sleeve, and showed his arm to Megumi. "Tell me, does this look scarred to you? One of those kids managed to dismember my right arm. As you can see, I grew it back just fine, however it doesn't look right."

Megumi removed his crimson red headphones from his neck, laying them on the couch. He rolled the boy's sleeve further, trying to get a look at the shoulder socket. There was indeed a scar there. Unless one was looking for it, they'd never notice the tiny scar line that ran around his shoulder indicating where the limb was removed.

Reading his expression, Joshua sighed. "I create this entire world for those kids to have a chance to pass on, and this is how I'm repaid. An ugly scar." He threw his head back, acting hurt "Oh how cruel this world is, a creator disfigured by his own creations!"

Chuckling, the other man seemed to not take his companion seriously, instead heading over to the bar and pouring himself a glass of red wine "You always had a flair for the dramatic sir. While we're on the subject, how are things progressing?"

The Composer turned his head to Megumi, and spoke "Those kids all seem pretty intent on staying here, especially my pick. I don't understand how you expect to win if they don't pass on soon. How long has it been? Three weeks, correct? Three weeks since I voiced how I wanted this world gone, and you staked your existence on a bet with me. You've got a week left, my friend."

"I have full faith that those children will be able to overcome the regrets of their past lives. If they don't, then I shall accept erasure as punishment for my folly, as agreed." Megumi took a sip of his beverage, allowing the words he had spoken to settle in his mind like just the taste of the alcohol in his throat.

Content with the answer given by his subordinate, Joshua smiled "If that's how you feel, then I guess I should be on my way. It was nice to have a moment to relax. See you around, Mr. Conductor." with that, the teen vanished.

"So the fate of the afterlife rests in your hands then, Neku Sakuraba." He brought his glass to his lips, and downed the whole thing.

* * *

Weary eyelids parted, revealing sky blue irises behind them. What was only an orange blur soon cleared to show the face of Neku, donning his trademark headphones as he shook Kenta to consciousness.

"Guys, he's finally awake." Neku announced, sounding relieved.

Inspecting his own clothing, Kenta noticed all the damage that had been done. His uniform was destroyed beyond repair. All that remained was a sleeve clinging by a thread onto a shirt littered with tears, holes and bloodstains. His pants were no better for the wear, only managing to be a lighter, bloodier shade of red than the hair on Otonashi's head.

The room that they were in wasn't the most homey place. The walls were cracked, and the ceiling leaking water. The lights would flicker, not able to hold a steady glow.

Still a bit dazed, he groaned, feeling a strange soreness all over. His body was not complying with his desire to get up. "What'd I miss while I was out..?" Kenta questioned, his eyes flickered from one person to the next, searching for the answer to his inquiry.

"Well only one of us knows. He woke up before the rest of us, and we decided to wait for you until he gave us the whole story. Now that you're awake, I suppose you can begin with the story, right Neku?" Ichirou spoke, his concerned tone resonating with the others in the room. They were all concerned, scared even. Nobody had any idea what to do, especially regarding the development that one of their own, Joshua, was actually the enemy they'd been looking for the entire time.

"There's not much to tell really." Neku stepped forward, beginning to recount the events following his awakening. "When I woke up, I saw everyone lying on the ground. It was a terrible sight. I don't know what happened in the battle after I was killed, but I could easily tell it was a bonafide hell. After looking around, I heard Josh speak. He and I exchanged a few... less than kind words, at least that's what I did. Then he did something else. He challenged me. He told me to kill him, and gave me 7 days to do it. He told me if I failed I would be "erased". He probably means I'll be obliterated by that. Before leaving, he taunted me, and then flew off. I tried my best to tend to whoever needed it, but I'm no doctor. That leaves us at the here and now."

"So basically he wants us to fight him- what if we don't?" Ichirou pondered aloud.

"Stupid." Yori spat "What do you think he's gonna do? He's gonna get rid of everything. Damned if we do, damned if we don't. You saw how he fucked up angel boy over there, what do you think he could do to the rest of us, probably without even breaking a sweat."

"I hate to admit it, but the babe is right. We're in a pretty sticky situation with no way to unstick ourselves." Isamu murmured lowly, stealing a glance at Yori.

The door creaked open. Otonashi entered along with Shiki and Minako.

"Everyone else should be fine. I have medical experience so I was able to at least make things more comfortable for them."

Kenta stood. "Everyone, I'd like a word with Otonashi, in private."

Everyone stood to grant the request, matching toward the exit one by one.

"Actually Neku, you stay." Otonashi spoke. The orange-haired boy thought about the request for a moment, deciding to hear out the Student Body President.

Once the room was cleared and there were no signs of eavesdroppers, Kenta roared "Otonashi, what the hell are we gonna do about this? How are we to handle a situation like this? You saw that whole fight. He was toying with me for most of it. How am I supposed to compete, no, how am I supposed to BEAT that?" Kenta huffed, stress taking over him.

He sunk. How should he have the answers? He had no idea that he would ever see the being known as God, much less that God would want to retire the use of the afterlife for those with regrets. He hung his head thinking, ironically even praying for a solution.

Sullenly, Otonashi began to talk "There is one last shot we have. It's risky. It's probably the only thing we can do though. YOU couldn't beat Josh, Kenta. Now, you had no idea of knowing how he would have created such powerful guard skills for himself. Skills we wouldn't know how to program ourselves. But what if we had someone else do it? Maybe we could add another person to the Angel Player network."

"I'll do it." Neku volunteered, enraged.

Both Kenta and Otonashi turned their heads towards Neku. Surely he hadn't just made that choice in an instant? Of course, Neku was probably the most skilled fighter there. He beat Kenta without any powers, albeit with some luck on his side. To Otonashi's knowledge, he even fought a powerless Joshua to a draw. If anyone had the potential to beat their enemy, it would be the boy that stood before them.

With a grin, Otonashi spoke once more. "Glad to hear that, I actually was going to ask you to do it but I suppose that's no longer necessary."

"How do we do it? Just hook me up so I can beat the crap out of that snobby piece of shit excuse for a God."

"Forgive me for the inquiry. I know you never like Joshua, but what's with the sudden hatred towards him?" Kenta posed the question as though it were the most natural thing. Maybe it was natural, for people in as deep as they all were.

"When I awoke it was pure hell. Everyone was hurt, they were all laying on the ground around me and I had no idea if they were dead for good or not."

"But Neku, you can't die here, in this plane. It's how the world works."

"Never assume that the laws of what we know as the world with hold true when God is in control. For all we know, he could deliver a permanent death to us. Not only all of that though..." Neku's voice grew dark, and his head fell as tears welled in his eyes.

"Neku, what do you me-" Kenta was cut off by the scream that followed.

"IT WAS HIM. HE KILLED ME!"


End file.
